Author: Nikolas Leontopoulos

The current leader of the Greek opposition, New Democracy party leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis, is odds-on favourite to become the next Greek prime minister. Both German and US media have dubbed him a “star of the people” offering Greece “a glimmer of hope”. A sworn reformist, he slams nepotism and corruption. And yet that international praise ignores hard facts – such as the inclusion of his spouse in the Paradise Papers or his personal involvement in the biggest corruption scandal of the last 30 years in Greece.

On New Year's Eve, at the emergencies of Papageorgiou Hospital in Thessaloniki. From left to right: Georgia Christodolou, 32, surgeon, Giorgos Toulias, surgeon, Dimitris Spanos, surgeon. Credit: Nikos Pilos

Hundreds of thousands of young Greeks have turned their backs on depleted public services, dead labour markets and worsening working conditions. Germany wants them. Meanwhile, the Greek health system feels the brain drain. Published in NORWEGIAN by Aftenbladet.

October 9, 2017, Wolfgang Schauble's last Eurogroup. From left to right: Schauble, Dijsselbloem, De Guindos, Padoan.

Investigate Europe spoke to Pier Carlo Padoan before the German elections. But the message of urgency conveyed here by the Italian Finance minister is even more topical now. Padoan, a full blown Europhile and admirer of German reforms, urges Berlin to accept the Italian proposals for “risk sharing” among Eurozone members because “time is running out for Europe”.

“Time is running out” for Europe, warns Italy’s Finance Minister Pier Carlo Padoan. Italy has done its homework, he says, calling on Germany to show faith and share risk to save the European project from a populist right.

On May 12 hackers hit more than a hundred countries exploiting a stolen N.S.A. tool that targeted vulnerabilities of Microsoft software. The attacks infected only machines running Windows. Among the victims are public administrative bodies such as NHS hospitals in the UK. Investigate Europe spent months to investigate the dire dependency of European countries on Microsoft – and the security risks this entails. Read our full investigation in ENGLISH.

With filming and interviews in Athens, Lesbos, Lisbon, Brussels and Naples, the documentary by VICE Greece follows the cross-border work of the Investigate Europe journalists as they investigate the industries that are banking on the border business and the security threats in Europe.

And it's not just Greece. Portugal and Italy, beware! Reforms on the way.

From the Commission’s spokesperson to the president of Eurogroup himself, a crowd of EU officials have been trying to block Greek judges from doing their jobs. As for the new privatization fund, board members and experts, from top to bottom, can commit crimes as they please: By law, no judge can investigate them, no court can try them.

Investigate Europe

We, nine experienced journalists from eight European countries, are "Investigate Europe". We will research as a multinational team. We will share, merge and crosscheck facts – tackling the usual national bias. We will point out responsible transnational structures and actors in issues of European-wide relevance to make it possible to hold them accountable.